Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta (Printable)

A luscious pasta dish featuring a creamy cottage cheese sauce with parmesan and herbs.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 6 oz dried pasta (penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti)

→ Sauce

02 - 7 oz cottage cheese (low-fat or full-fat)
03 - 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tbsp milk
05 - 1 clove garlic, minced
06 - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - 1/4 tsp salt
09 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs (optional)

→ To Serve

10 - Fresh basil leaves, torn
11 - Extra grated Parmesan
12 - Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
02 - Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, milk, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, and Italian herbs in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
03 - Transfer sauce to a large skillet over low heat. Warm gently, stirring frequently until heated through. Add reserved pasta water or additional milk if sauce is too thick to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss thoroughly to coat with the sauce. Add extra pasta water as needed for a silky texture.
05 - Divide pasta between bowls. Garnish with torn basil leaves, extra Parmesan, and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes creamy and luxurious but actually delivers real protein to keep you full for hours.
  • The entire dish comes together in 25 minutes, which somehow feels like cheating when something this good lands on your plate.
  • Cottage cheese does something almost magical here—transforms into a sauce so smooth you'd never guess its humble source.
02 -
  • Don't skip blending the cottage cheese smooth—lumpy sauce is a textural disappointment that changes everything about this dish.
  • Reserved pasta water is your safety net; add it gradually because you can always thin the sauce more but you can't thicken it back up once you've overdone it.
03 -
  • Mince your garlic fine and let it sit in the blender for 30 seconds before adding everything else—it distributes more evenly and tastes less sharp.
  • Full-fat cottage cheese blends smoother than low-fat, but if you're using low-fat, add an extra tablespoon of milk to compensate.
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